‘Midnight Rider’ Executive Producer Turns Himself in To Police

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Jay Sedrish, the executive producer and production manager of Midnight Rider, the now-suspended Gregg Allman biopic, turned himself in to Wayne County, Ga., police on Thursday (July 17) following his July 3 grand jury indictment on charges of involuntary manslaughter and criminal trespassing related to the death of camera assistant Sarah Jones.

Sedrish was charged, along with the film’s director Randall Miller and fellow producer Jody Savin in the death of Jones, who was struck and killed by a train on the set of the film in February. The Hollywood Reporterreports that Sedrish was released after posting $27,700 bond.

Involuntary manslaughter is a felony carrying a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison under Georgia law. Criminal trespass is a misdemeanor punishable by no more than a year in prison.

Her death inspired many calls for reform in safety measures on film sets. Cinematographer Haskell Wexler — who was not involved with the film — told Varietythat Jones was “Not victim of an ‘accident’ but of criminal negligence. [This was] Something that would not have happened if proper safety rules were in place.”

Two weeks after her passing, several black ribbons were worn at the Oscars in her honor, and she was included in the “in memorandum” segment on the broadcast.